The mother of the teenager who went missing in Tenerife and was found dead in a mountainous area has appealed for more support.
Debbie Duncan said in a statement she wants to give her son Jay Slater “the send-off he deserves” and asked people to “continue to share and support our fundraiser however you can”.
Earlier this week officials on the Canary Island confirmed a body found by rescue workers near the village of Masca belonged to the British 19-year-old.
He had attended a music festival in the southern resort of Playa de las Americas and was given a lift to the Masca area.
When he spoke to a friend Lucy Law on the morning before he went missing, he told her he was lost, needed water and his phone was on 1% battery, adding that he would set off to walk from a northern area of the island back to his holiday accommodation in Los Cristianos – a journey of about 11 hours.
After the body found by rescuers was confirmed on Tuesday to be Mr Slater’s, Ms Duncan said the family’s “hearts are broken”, and she “can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy”.
Today, in a further statement, she said: “Hello everyone, thank you for all of your kindness, support and condolences in light of the tragic news that Jay’s body has been found. We are overwhelmed with grief and are so grateful for your support.
“The wonderful team from The Netherlands, Signi Zoekhondon, have remained in Spain all week and have continued to support us since Jay was found. They are due to fly home in the coming days and we are so appreciative of their dedication and support.
“We would like to thank LBT Global for their support during this impossible time. We are working with agencies to arrange Jay’s repatriation to the UK and the remaining funds, along with any future donations will be used to help with this if needed and to pay for Jay’s funeral costs back home. We want to give our boy the send-off he deserves so please do continue to share and support our fundraiser however you can.”